Here we go for the 12th episode of the Club, in which we are going to discover wine faults. The goal, by the end of this episode, is to be able to easily recognise these faults at your next tastings. Before we dive into all this, if this is the first time you are listening to this podcast, there are 11 other episodes you can enjoy right after this one. If you like this podcast, remember to give it 5 stars on Apple Podcast, it is the most important thing for moving it up the rankings. Finally, if you do not want to miss any episode of the Club, join the club for free. Now that we are done with all that, and that you have subscribed, given 5 stars and left a kind little message, let us move on to the episode on wine faults.
Wine faults: a question of perception
Before getting to the heart of the subject of wine faults, it is worth pointing out that they are a matter of perception. We all have a different perception of wine and a threshold beyond which we consider something a fault. This is particularly true of the acidity of wine. Everyone can have their own scale. So I am not going to make any final judgement in this episode, and it is up to each of you to do the test based on what you feel. Moreover, if you are unlucky enough to open a bottle of wine that has a fault, try giving it to your friends to taste. And you will see that not everyone reacts the same way. Finally, a fault in a wine does not necessarily mean you are dealing with a bad wine. Every bottle is different and you can sometimes get a corked wine. So do not be too definitive. That said, if you are listening to this podcast it is because you are wondering “what are the faults in wine?”. Let us now discover the three types of wine faults: visual faults, olfactory faults and taste faults.
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The visual faults of wine
Wine can show visual faults. First of all, it can be sparkling. Nothing serious if you are tasting a Pet Nat or a champagne. But it is much more serious if you are drinking a still wine. If the wine you are tasting has bubbles, it is because it has started a second fermentation in the bottle. You can always do the test, but there is little chance it will be very good. The wine can also be cloudy and show particles. These can be a slightly brown colour. In that case, it means the grapes had to be harvested a little late. If these particles are blue or white, it is a sign of poor winemaking or of poorly maintained winemaking equipment. In any case, it is not a good sign.
Olfactory faults
Wine faults can also be olfactory. There are many smells you can recognise that are not necessarily a good sign for your tasting. The various olfactory faults you can recognise are:
- The smell of cork: the poor quality of the cork has contaminated the wine. You risk drinking a corked wine;
- A musty smell with aromas of onions or mould, generally due to an excess of sulphur;
- A smell of oxidation with aromas of walnuts and very ripe apples, due to too much contact between the wine and the air;
- A smell of vinegar, which is the result of very strong oxidation.
In all these cases, there is a good chance you are dealing with an expired wine. You have only one option left: open another bottle.
The taste faults of wine
Finally, all the faults you can detect during the olfactory examination of the wine will normally be felt when you taste it. So the taste of cork or vinegar reflects the faults you smelled earlier. On the palate, wine can show other faults such as too much bitterness or an overly pronounced taste of wood. The first of these faults is due to too much plant matter during winemaking, and the second to ageing in poorly maintained oak barrels. Lightstruck wine is also one of the common faults, in particular in wines bought from large retailers. By the way, if you do not know what winemaking or ageing in oak barrels means, I invite you to listen to the episode on how to make wine. It should answer all your questions.
How do you recognise wine faults?
Finally, you are wondering how to recognise wine faults? The answer is actually quite simple. You have to taste again and again. By tasting often, you will get into the habit of discovering new things, and above all of recognising them. You will then very quickly sense when a wine has a fault. And there you go, well done, you now know all about wine faults. Once again we have seen that wine is not a drink like any other. Analysing it is full of subtleties that you have just understood thanks to this podcast. Learning wine is crucial in order to finally enjoy it to the fullest. So I will see you in the next episode. In the meantime, to continue your efforts to learn wine, head to the club. By signing up, you will be notified of the next episodes and have all the associated bonuses, and learn wine easily. It is free, it is interesting, and if you ever change your mind, you can unsubscribe whenever you like. So go ahead and sign up to our club right after this episode.
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